Hemp was in the spotlight in Huy on Thursday 14 December. Valentine Donck, from Valbiom, gave a presentation to HECH Master 2 students on the state of hemp cultivation in the world, in Europe and in Belgium.
Textile hemp and the circular economy
The focus was on the innovative and promising crop of textile hemp and the European Hemp4Circularity project, jointly conducted by French, Belgian, German and Dutch partners.
The project aims to develop long-fibre textile hemp as part of an international collaboration, integrating it into the circular economy. The ambition is to integrate long-fibre hemp sustainably into the textile value chain in North-West Europe.
An opportunity for the students to talk about the 'circular economy' in a concrete way, with an european example.
Hemp and flax: similarities and differences
Congratulations to the students in the Master 2 agronomy option at HECH, who were very good at guessing the price of the new hemp harvesting machines on the market. As for knowing how to differentiate between flax and hemp fabrics, the task proved much more difficult, despite two clear rounds.
Without clues, it is almost impossible to distinguish a hemp fabric from a linen fabric. And while the cultivation and processing of long-fibre hemp is similar to flax, there are some notable differences, which the partners in the Hemp4Circularity project hope to identify precisely, so that they can offer the most accurate cultivation and processing guidelines possible to the stakeholders of this developing sector.
Interested in the Hemp4Circularity project? Contact communication@valbiom.be